mermaids

Meeting the author is always exciting – the chance to get your book signed, the possibility of asking about the inspiration, the moment to bask in the glow of creativity – hoping some will rub off. Anita Benson Bradley is an accomplished artist, relocated to Hawaii from Monterey, California. Bradley’s watercolors and acrylics have won awards – my favorite is her Beach Girl (Sue) – check it out on her website.

In Mermaids Rhymes and Tails, Benson connects her art with sassy rhymes to entertain children as well as her “whimsical” adult friends.

Some poems tease with references to “fish breath” and “seaweed hair”; others offer magic and water play. Bradley sprinkles her lively sketches throughout, ending with two pages of black and white “underwater sketches done with squid ink.” Since Anita Bradley is an avid snorkeler, it’s possible those sketches really were outlined underwater.